Namibian Students Receive Parnham Family Scholarships

Alumnus Duane Parnham’s generosity towards Fleming college students, and his strong belief in Fleming’s quality education, has resulted in two deserving Namibian students having a wonderful opportunity to earn a two-year Fleming College Earth Resources Technician Diploma; fully funded through the Parnham Foundation.

The student scholarships, awarded to Madawa Wilson and Hermine Namakalu, are valued at approximately $50,000 per student. This covers expenses such as tuition, airfare, meal plans, books, class supplies, living expenses, incidentals and warm winter clothing. The students began semester one in September and will be well taken care of throughout their five semester program.

“We want to make their experience as comfortable as possible while they attend school in Canada by providing them with all of their needs,” says Tanya Murphy, Director and Secretary-Treasurer of the Parnham Foundation.

The Parhnam Foundation received over 100 applications for the scholarships, from a variety of areas and schools, after they ran an article in the Namibian newspaper to spread the word of this amazing opportunity. Duane, Leigh, Tanya and members of the Knowledge Foundation (a non-profit organization in Namibia), carefully reviewed the submissions. The scholarships were awarded to Madawa and Hermine based on a variety of factors including previous academic performance, financial need, leadership potential and overall career goals. Both students are very deserving of this award.

Duane and Leigh Parnham, Co-Founders of the Parnham Foundation, stated “The future of Namibia and its people depend on its youth learning and growing beyond its borders. We are giving opportunities that will change these young people’s lives through education and experience.”

The Parnham Foundation is a Greater Toronto Area based nonprofit organization funded by the Parnham family personal wealth. The Foundation’s goal is to advance education by providing scholarships and other educational assistance for underprivileged, impoverished or otherwise disadvantaged students with a specific focus on the country of Namibia. The focus of the advancement of education is in collaboration with Fleming College.

In 2012, Fleming College’s Resources Drilling and Blasting Training Centre was also the beneficiary of a historic $1 million donation from Duane Parnham — the largest alumni donation in Fleming’s history and the largest ever by a college alumnus to a community college in Ontario. In recognition of Duane’s donation, Fleming College unveiled The Parnham Training Centre